William McKinley was the 25th president of the United States. Although he is not a native of Canton, he spent a good portion of his life there, and of course Ida Saxton is a Canton native. Growing up in Canton the McKinley monument was part of our summer life, and local culture. I remember my mom used to take us to the now defunct Mother Gooseland to play and picnic. It seemed so huge to me. When it was time to go, she’d buy a big bag of popcorn and take us over to the duck pond to feed the ducks. We’d go through Monument park and stop and run the steps of McKinley monument. One summer my sister was sliding down the sides on her butt and wore a hole in her pants!
As a teenager in high school, I remember marching in the Memorial day parade, in full dress uniform, including hats (and plumes) and playing the Star Spangled Banner at the Memorial day ceremony in front of the monument. I had the distinction of being the only one out of three sisters, to not pass out!
